Lotta Hitschmanova: What it Means to be a Refugee

“To be a refugee, to be without a home, to be without country, to be without friends … you have no more roots, you have no one to turn to.”

Lotta Hitschmanova (1909-1990) became one of Canada’s most beloved humanitarians and a role model and champion for women’s rights.

Before this, however, Lotta experienced the extreme pain of being uprooted, from her beloved Czech homeland, wandering across Western Europe as a refugee from 1938 to 1942.

“I became a refugee, I went to Belgium first, and when Belgium was invaded I went into France. And that was at the beginning of the war. And I was in France in Marseilles and outside of Marseilles for two years. And I experienced personally how much it hurts to be hungry.

“To be a refugee, to be without a home, to be without country, to be without friends. And this is something dreadful, dreadful; you have no more roots, you have no one to turn to.

“I fainted from hunger in Marseilles twice, fell in front of a street car and I was very ill. And when I came to Canada I weighed 98 pounds.”

Seldom has a refugee had such an impact on Canadian society, and indeed around the world. A reminder that those we help today will be enriching our society, and helping many others tomorrow. The next Lotta Hitschmanova may soon be arriving in Canada. Let’s welcome them.